Finally, some images of the various museums and galleries we visited along the way. We had a very full itinerary for our time spent in Chile, and I literally enjoyed every minute of it and learned a lot about Chile in the process.
La Moneda Palace was the first place we visited minutes after landing. Historically, it houses parts of the government and has been the home of the President on and off over the years. It was bombed during the military coup of 1973. It is an absolutely beautiful building.
Underneath La Moneda is La Moneda Cultural Center. The center houses exhibition galleries, a cafe, and shops selling authentic Chilean crafts.
The inside of the cultural center.
There is currently an exhibition called “Elementos” which features artesanal works from the north of Chile.
We also spent some time at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. This is a museum that focuses on the atrocities during Pinochet’s regime. We were lucky enough to get a tour of this very informative and moving tribute to Chile’s citizens. I only took pictures of the outside of the building, it didn’t seem appropriate to take pictures of the exhibitions inside.
A beautiful contemporary building.
Courtyard had a photography exhibition, and other tributes.
We spent some time at the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art). We saw some amazing artifacts and crafts that were hundreds to thousands of years old.
The building is located in a government square which houses the Supreme Court (left) and the former Congress.
We also received a tour of the fabulous Patricia Ready Gallery. A gallery that focuses on Chilean contemporary art. A beautiful building, with very impressive exhibitions up right now.
One of the main galleries was dedicated to artist Pablo Serra.
Serra’s show was an impressive display of concept and skill. An interesting perspective utilizing pop vocabulary.
We also got a tour of the galleries collection of their other artists. The basement gallery is a sort of permanent collection, some of examples seen above and below.
The gallery has a beautiful courtyard which houses a cafe.
A meeting was scheduled with the cultural attache in the US Embassy. You are not allowed to take pictures in the embassy, so this is the best I could do.
But the most memorable part of the trip was our dinner at the Ambassador’s residence. We were lucky enough to receive an invitation to a small event, which included a performance by four young students at the CURTIS Institute of Music in Philadelphia. The performance is impossible to describe, it was moving and inspirational and challenging. They performed three historical pieces, and then they played a contemporary piece that was written by an alum. At the time, I realized I will never experience anything like this moment again in my life. Truly amazing.
I would like to say thank you again to Arts Midwest CEO and President David Fraher for setting this entire exchange up and AIR Director Robert Beckman for asking me to help organize this project. Isabel and Raphael will be coming to Pittsburgh in September to visit AIR and discuss more of the project. Stay tuned until then!
Joseph Lupo 
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